Question:
alright so first question is about the penalty box and penalties committed by the defending team. is there such thing as an indirect free kick in the box and if so is it taken from the spot of the foul? what is done then about moving players ten yards away if its within 10 yards of the goal? hand ball fouls, is there a difference between intentional and unintentional as pertaining to penalties, beside a obvious handball being a cardable foul?
and this is half question half opinion, it seems to me fouls that could be called direct penalties and then fall under a penalty kick restart aren’t all goal scoring opportunities. Is there any way of dealing with these types of fouls besides awarding a penalty? and in my opinion it seems more just that they award a corner much like field hockey’s penalty corners. just doesn’t make sense to award a player who had his back to goal on the edge of the area near the endline should receive a pk for being fouled in a non scoring opportunity.
thanks for clearing everything up.
USSF answer (September 1, 2010):
1. Yes, the referee may award an indirect free kick (IFK) to the attacking team in the defending team’s penalty area. That would be done for any infringement punishable by an IFK.
If the IFK is to be taken from closer than 10 yards to the goal line, the defending team may stand on the goal line.
There is no such thing as an “unintentional hand ball.” Handling is either deliberate or it does not exist.
2. Sorry, life is very hard and the Laws of the Game are quite explicit. A penal foul (direct free kick/DFK foul) is a DFK foul, no matter where it occurs, unless it is in the penalty area. In that case, if it was committed by the defending team, it becomes a penalty kick. There is no connection between most penalty kicks and a goalscoring opportunity.
